I use this all the time to put hot food in it to cool it faster and prevent spoilage and it works great when I have everything on Bring room temperature, so I can be safely stored in the refrigerator before the bacteria grow too quickly. It's not big enough for a laptop base and I'm considering buying another one because two are about the right size and will help if I'm running an intense game. One caveat is that the metal has very sharp edges and has never been cut from it, but I can see that this is a problem, handle with care.